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More time allowed for Oklahoma City American Indian Cultural Center

Former University of Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer could soon be working to see if any of his Sooner magic can sway Oklahoma lawmakers to appropriate $40 million for the unfinished American Indian Cultural Center in downtown Oklahoma City.

BY MICHAEL MCNUTT mmcnutt@opubco.com •
Published: April 1, 2013

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More time has been put on the clock for backers of the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum to win legislative support for the half-built facility.

BUILDING EXTERIOR: Entrance at Eastern Avenue to the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012. Photo by Paul B. Southerland, The Oklahoman

And former University of Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer could soon be working to see if any of his Sooner magic can sway lawmakers to appropriate $40 million for the project in downtown Oklahoma City.

A bill that would have transferred the cultural center to the Oklahoma Historical Society won't be heard this year, said Rep. Don Armes, chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services. The panel had been scheduled to hear Senate Bill 511 on Monday.

Armes, R-Faxon, said a couple of new members have been appointed to the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority, which oversees the cultural center, and he thought it fair to give them time to see what they can do.

“It's probably not good timing,” he said. “We're just going to wait and see how some of the new board members kind of get along and give some of the new members time for new input. You hate to place guys on a board and then say, ‘Oh by the way we just did away with your board.'”

Armes said the bill could be brought up again next year if necessary; legislative sessions last two years.

“We'll just kind of sit on it and see what happens,” he said.

History vs. culture

Armes said concerns also have been raised whether the Historical Society is the best fit for the cultural center. Bob Blackburn, executive director of the Historical Society, said his agency, which collects, preserves and shares artifacts, has a different role than a cultural center, which looks at people and the way they lived.

Blake Wade, executive director of the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority, said putting the cultural center under the Historical Society could have jeopardized the $40 million in private pledges he's secured to help complete the center. The pledges would turn into cash when the state matches that amount, which would be enough to pay for the project's completion, he said.

The pledges are set to expire at the end of this year, Wade said.

The decision to set aside SB 511 this year allows the board to focus its energy on talking with lawmakers about finding $40 million in the budget for fiscal year 2014 — which starts July 1 — for the project, he said.

State funds would have to be available by June 1 in order for the project to be completed in December 2014, Wade said.